Open to Hope Articles

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Bill Guggenheim: Radio Show Guest: December 28th 9AM PST – 12 Noon PST: Hello From Heaven: After Death Communication

Posted on December 28, 2006 - by admin

Bill Guggenheim and Judy Guggenheim spent seven years conducting research for their popular book Hello From Heaven. During this time, they interviewed 2,000 people and collected more than 3,300 firsthand accounts of after-death communications (ADC). ADCs provide what many believe is modern-day evidence of life after death. Bill has presented his research at many national and regional conferences of the Compassionate Friends. Bill Guggenheim and Judy Guggenheim created The ADC Project in May, 1988 to conduct the first in-depth research of After-Death Communications. In their initial research, they interviewed 2,000 people and collected more than 3,300 firsthand accounts from people […]

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Acknowledging and Supporting the Difficult Life Transitions of Those We Care About

Posted on December 28, 2006 - by admin

From the end of a relationship with a person, house, or job to the diagnosis and treatment of a serious illness, we all encounter struggles in our lives. A hug, a laugh and a supportive message from someone who cares go a long way in providing comfort to a heavy heart. Many people are unable to be with a friend or loved one as they adjust to a difficult situation. In some cases geography is an obstacle, in other

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Growing Through Grief

Posted on December 26, 2006 - by admin

Let?s begin by taking you on a journey through Time. Time is like the envelope for your life. Your Life is the letter. You place yourself inside of Time and you mail yourself to God. Along the way you forget where you are going. Events on the path remind you, but the messages often appear fragmented and unclear.

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Love Never Dies: A Mother’s Journey from Loss to Love

Posted on December 26, 2006 - by admin

Love Never Dies: A Mother’s Journey from Loss to Love -by Sandy Goodman (Jodere, 2002) Buy ten books for ten dollars (plus shipping) and help us get these books out to those who need them. Call Jodere Group at 1-800-569-1002 and ask for “Jason’s Deal”. Leave a message and they will call you back to take your order! P.S. There is one “catch.” You have to pass these books on to those who need them.

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Christmas Mourning

Posted on December 24, 2006 - by admin

Deecember is a cruel month. Christmas sales, decorations, advertisements -everyone seems so happy and cheerful – it’s easy to feel alone. It’s precisely at these happy times that the loss of our loved one can be felt the strongest. We remember only too well who is missing. Whether our loss was recent or whether it occurred many years ago, we are constantly surrounded by sights and sounds that trigger memories of holidays past, and wracked with dreams of what might have been. Holidays involve expectations about getting together with family, about special meals or special gifts, and special traditions. Even […]

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Grief and Loss: The Secret to Surviving Life’s Unexpected Storms

Posted on December 24, 2006 - by admin

PHASE I: Acknowledge It If you bury an issue without dealing with it, it will eventually resurrect itself in some form. Hiding from the pain will never make it go away. Instead, it only prolongs the process of healing. If you have ever experienced significant loss, or even severe abuse in some form, then you know that there is an initial shock phase where the occurrence seems surreal. This is normal initially, but then there comes a time when you have to acknowledge what has occurred, before you can ever move toward the road to recovery. It seems easier to […]

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Healing But Not A Cure

Posted on December 22, 2006 - by admin

There is a program on cable called New Morning and hosted by Timberly Whitfield. It is 60 minutes of inspirational pieces surrounding weekly themes. I do not always get to watch the early morning show, but do receive their daily newsletter, which encapsulates the daily show. One week?s theme focused on courage. Certainly, a timely subject given the circumstances so many people have had to face with the aftermath of Katrina, Darfur, war in Iraq, and personal issues for many of us including loss.

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December 21, 2006: Dealing With the Holidays – Susan Van Vleck

Posted on December 21, 2006 - by admin

HEALING THE GRIEVING HEART Dealing with the Holidays Hosts:? Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Heidi Horsley With guest:? Susan Van Vleck December 21, 2006 G:?Hello.? I?m Dr. Gloria Horsley with my co-host H:?Dr. Heidi Horsley. G:?Each week we welcome you to Healing the Grieving Heart, a show of hope and conversation with those who have suffered the loss of a loved one and for health care professionals who work in this most difficult field.? And as always the message is others have been there before you and made it, you do not walk alone.? If you?re listening to our Thursday […]

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December 21, 2006: Dealing With The Holidays: Susan Van Vleck

Posted on December 21, 2006 - by admin

DECEMBER 21, 2006 ? DEALING WITH THE HOLIDAYS: SUSAN VAN VLECK.? Following the death of her 19-year-old son, Marc, in 1992, Susan Van Vleck was looking for meaning.? Marc?s death motivated Susan to graduate with honors from Kennesaw State University receiving a degree in Sociology and Human Services.? She has attended several American Academy of Bereavement seminars.? Susan has been a facilitator for Good Grief, a six-week program based on Granger Westberg?s book Good Grief and was a Promina Northwest Hospice Volunteer in Marietta, Georgia, for two years.? She is also a National Board Member for The Compassionate Friends.? Susan […]

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Dealing with the Holidays: Susan Van Vleck

Posted on December 21, 2006 - by

Following the death of her younger son, Marc, age 19, in 1992, Susan Van Vleck was looking for meaning. Marc’s death motivated Susan to enter and graduate with honors from Kennesaw State University receiving a degree in Sociology and Human Services. She has attended several American Academy of Bereavement seminars. Susan has been a facilitator for Good Grief; a six-week program based on Granger Westberg’s book Good Grief and was a Promina Northwest Hospice Volunteer in Marietta, GA for two years. She is a National Board Member for The Compassionate Friends. Susan knows it isn’t the life you planed, but […]

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